


Splinters In The Fire

by rubyventure



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Childhood Friends, F/F, F/M, Investigations, Kind of angst I guess?, Rewind Time, Romance, alternative universe, happy end, life is strange au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-10
Updated: 2018-03-01
Packaged: 2018-12-25 21:33:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12044712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rubyventure/pseuds/rubyventure
Summary: Life is strange in Riverdale. 8 Months ago Jughead Jones' best friend Toni Topaz dissapeared. When he's about to get shot, Betty can safe him by rewinding the time. Together they start to investigate the vanishing of Toni Topaz.





	1. Chrysalis

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys!
> 
> So this is my first multi-chapter fic. And it's obviously AU. It is based on a request by @birdlovesafish on tumblr! 
> 
> I've got it all planned, I just have to write it, haha. I'm not always inspired and I'm really not the fastest writer, but I'll try to update this fic once a week though <3
> 
> Also a big THANK YOU for @allskynostars for beta this little something! <3
> 
> Also WARNING: A gun will be used in this chapter! Don't say I didn't warn you.

Life was strange in Riverdale. At least, that’s what Betty thought. No one seemed to notice the little things that made Riverdale this strange. However, this would change in the coming weeks…

The wind pulled at her hair, so severely, that her usual ponytail had dissolved itself long ago. Where was she? She had no idea how she ended up here. She lifted her gaze towards the dark heaven. There were no stars. Nothing. It rained fiercely, her clothes were completely soaked. It was freezing cold, Betty shivered. It was so dim that she could hardly see her own hand. The blonde looked for a sign. Anything that could tell her where she should go. Eventually she saw Pop's' neon-sign, flashing between the trees that surrounded her. She headed towards that sign, she ran, as if the devil himself was chasing her. She clung to the hope that at Pops she could find out what this was about. She just had to reach those damn neon signs. Everything would be fine, once she was there, right? 

However, as she reached Pops, pure horror seized her. Her legs trembled, and she could hardly breath. A tornado of monstrous size was headed towards Riverdale. This storm would destroy everything, there would be nothing left in Riverdale. Betty opened her mouth, because she wanted to scream. But she couldn’t, no sound came from her lips. She felt as if she would choke. Her lungs were empty and she couldn’t breathe anymore. Pure fear ran through her whole body and hastened her heartbeat.

Betty blinked against the bright light. She looked around, completely confused. Was that just a dream? Everything had felt so real. Not like a nightmare, more like a vision. Her heart still pounded way too fast. A vision? ‘That is ridiculous!’, Betty reminded herself. What was wrong with her? A few days ago she had started dreaming about this storm. And now, she even had this dream during the day? Musing about it, she played with the necklace she was wearing today and looked out of the window. Her thoughts slowly returned to the present. She was at Southside High, helping some of the children with their homework. Her mother was convinced that this honorary work would look good on her college-applications.

College...just a few months more in this town and she could finally leave Riverdale. Soon, she would graduate from school. She felt more uncomfortable in Riverdale from day to day. Every day an oppressive feeling crept up on her. A gaze out of the window reinforced this feeling. It was only September, but during the night last night, all the green leaves had changed their color. They all had turned brown. It was a gruesome and mysterious spectacle of nature and no one could explain it properly. No one knew what happened. Therefore, people just ignored it. As always. No one in Riverdale wanted to know the truth. Never. Everything that could be inconvenient in the slightest was ignored completely. The blonde was so damn tired of it.

With a sigh, she looked at her students. All the kids worked eagerly on their tasks. Betty couldn’t hide the smile that spread over her lips. It had taken a few weeks, until these kids trusted her, however now they did it. Now, they tried to impress her and in order to do so, they concentrated even more on their homework. Since they were all busy and nobody seemed to require her help, Betty left the small classroom to get herself something to drink. She could use it. And maybe also some chocolate. She instantly had to think about her mother and what she would say about that. "Chocolate? Dear, you should keep an eye on the calories you’re eating." Betty shook her head in an attempt to get rid of this thought. Alice didn't have to find it out.

As she arrived in the small break room, she approached the corner in which the vending machines filled with beverages and sweet junk stood. Betty bought something to drink and disappeared further into a quiet corner of the room. She needed a pause, she needed silence. Just for a few minutes. However, the silence didn't last very long. After a few minutes, the door opened and two guys entered the room. 

A redheaded guy, who Betty knew only too well. It was Jason Blossom, her sister's ex, if you believed what the people around town were saying. Betty instantly froze, her fists clenched, nails digging into the soft skin of her palm. What was he doing here? Now her gaze shifted to the second guy. The other one was a dark-haired boy, with a certain beanie on his head and piercing blue eyes. The blonde knew him too. 

It was Jughead Jones. Betty hadn’t seen him in years though. But he hadn’t changed that much. After his father was arrested and sentenced five years ago and his mother had vanished, leaving him alone with his sister, a foster family from the Southside had taken the siblings in and they both had to transfer to Southside High. Actually, she had hoped to see him here, when she was tutoring the kids. Because a few years ago they were best friends and there were days when she really missed him. But they weren’t best friends anymore. It felt as if they were hundred miles apart. But in truth, it was only another district of this damn town, another school. But that had changed everything between them.

For a moment she thought about revealing her presence. But the conversation between them seemed to be heated, and she decided that she didn't want to interfere. Instead, Betty listened while holding her breath. "Tell me what you did to Toni, tell me where she is, or I swear to god, I’ll bust the drug deals you’re doing on this school, asshole!" Jughead hissed and pushed Jason into the wall beside the door. He grabbed Jason by the collar and held him there. You would think that Jason was stronger than Jughead, but it didn’t seem to be that way. Although Jason didn’t exactly fight back. 

"I don't know where that slut is! I’ve told you this a thousand times already. She simply had enough from this shitty town and ran away. Accept it!" Jughead laughed. However, it was not joyful. It was icy. And it gave Betty the chills. 

"Believe me, if she wanted to leave Riverdale just like that, I would’ve known about it." Now Jason laughed too, and he shook his head in disbelief.

"Oh, come on. Do you really believe, just because you were allowed to fuck her from time to time, that she told you everything?" Betty blinked, confused and disgusted by Jason’s words. And apparently Jughead didn’t like them either. He let go of Jason, just to punch him straight in the face with his fist. 

"Bastard! You of all people should know that Toni and I were just friends. I’m gonna expose you. I’ll go to the principal and tell him everything about you." Jason bent forward, holding his chin he began to laugh.

He sounded batshit crazy, as if he was losing his mind. As he began to speak again, he whispered, and Betty had trouble understanding him. "You won't cause any more problems for me…You won’t have to worry about her anymore once I’m done with you…" With these words, he pulled a weapon from his jacket and aimed it directly at Jughead. Betty covered her mouth with her hand in order not to cry out loud. What was happening? Where did Jason even get that gun? 

"Jason". Jughead said nothing more than Jason's name, letting it sound like a warning. But Jason didn't listen to this warning. Instead, he started waving the pistol around in front of Jughead while he was speaking. 

"You’ll regret it! This whole town will regret it! I will finally free myself from this hell and YOU will certainly not hinder me!!" Jason was furious now, Betty could see it in his eyes. And he wanted to say more, but he was stopped. Because a shot came off. With eyes wide open, Betty watched as Jughead fell to the ground, hit from Jason's shot. Blood spread over the ground immediately. 

“Jughead!” A scream left her lips, she stretched out her arm while she got up in order to run over to her childhood friend and help him. And suddenly, everything slowed down around them. Everything moved in slow motion. Her view become blurred and everything began to move backwards slowly, getting faster and faster eventually.

Only seconds later Betty found herself back in the small classroom where she tutored the kids, standing near the window, playing with the necklace she was wearing. Did she have another nightmare? Was this a déjà-vu? Everything was exactly like she left it earlier. But her breath was heavy and she could feel one single tear rolling down her cheek. She wiped the tear away vehemently. Was she crazy now? Did those last few minutes really fly by backwards? She was distracted from her thoughts as a child near her suddenly knocked over their pencil case by accident and all the pens spread out on the ground.

She could try again. This way she could find out if she really was crazy. With her heart throbbing Betty stretched out her hand again, she concentrated on the child and only seconds later, her view became blurred again. The pens flew back into the pencil case, and the pencil case was laying on the table again. Betty withdrew her hand. The child knocked the pencil case over once again now, but Betty could catch it before all the pens landed on the ground. What on earth was happening here? Betty felt like she was losing her mind. Did she just...rewind the time?

Her gaze flew to the door. Should she go back to the break room? Could she maybe prevent what had happened there, only a few minutes earlier? Jughead couldn’t die! She couldn’t let that happen! Betty hurried to get out of the classroom and stumbled into the break room. It was quiet, just like before. Everything was the same. She disappeared into the rear corner again and looked around. On one desk, she saw a stone. Somebody must’ve brought it in here. Betty grabbed it even though she admittedly didn't exactly know what she would do with it. It was better than nothing. Just after she hid once again, Jughead and Jason came into the break room, as before. The same things happened, they said precisely what they said before. Betty started to feel the panic in her body and she resisted the urge to clench her fists. How on earth could she prevent Jugheads dead? Feeling kind of helpless she looked around again, and her gaze landed on the red fire-alarm. She hammered on the glass with the stone and activated the alarm, only seconds before Jason pulled the weapon. Jughead stood still for a moment, looking around in confusion.

"We are not done, Blossom” he hissed and hurried out of the room. Jason followed him only seconds later. However, the weapon remained in his jacket. Betty breathed a sigh of relief. Tears streamed down her cheeks now. What was going on here? She had no clue and suddenly, Betty felt extremely weak. She sank to her knees and hid her face in her hands, while she began to cry recklessly.


	2. Serendipity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally back with a new chapter! 
> 
> So this chapter mainly gives us more background story. We'll get into the bigger plot next chapter, I promise! But I hope you'll like this chapter anyways! 

When Betty left Southside High last week, she swore to herself that she’d just forget about everything that happened. It had been one week now, and she had been doing a pretty bad job at forgetting. Mainly because every time Alice Cooper barged into her room trying to force Betty to take her pills, she felt the urge to rewind time to get away from her overbearing mother.

She didn’t use her new skill like that, though. But she did try it from time to time during the week. Sometimes just to catch something that was supposed to fall on the floor. But she also used it in school, when she couldn’t concentrate on the things the teacher said. She would rewind the time to take proper notes. The whole thing really had some positive sides.

The bad thing was that she felt exhausted every time she used that skill. And she still had no clue why she could rewind the time suddenly. Sometimes she wondered if this was all just a bad dream. But then she would pinch herself, and when she felt the pain, she knew she was awake. In school many people had asked her (let’s face it, mainly Veronica and Kevin), if she was alright. Betty didn’t have the heart to tell anybody what was happening with her. She just told them she was exhausted from learning and writing for the Blue and Gold, and people believed her. Everybody believed what sweet little Betty Cooper said, with her cute smile.

Today she had to go back to Southside High. Which meant she had to face the events of last week again, and that didn’t help her mood at all. But of course, she would go. She had a responsibility to teach and help those kids. Betty Cooper never let down anybody. Not even if she was sick.

So the blonde got into the car with her mother and let her drive to Southside High. “Call me  
when you’re ready, Betty. I don’t want you to walk around the Southside alone.” Betty nodded and gave her mom a kiss on the cheek.

“Yes Mum, of course.” she said it with a smile, but everything inside her wanted to scream. ‘ _Only a few more months_ ’, she thought. Then she’d go to New York and she’d never return to this goddamn town and her overbearing mother.

It didn’t take her long to get to the classroom where her students were waiting for her.  
Concentrating on the kids helped her to forget about everything that happened here last week. At least for a short amount of time. But there was one thing that she didn’t want to forget, besides everything. She saved Jughead Jones’ life. And she would do it again, if necessary.

Time went by very quick today, so she packed her things and left the classroom after all the kids had been picked up by their parents. She left the classroom with a smile, but that smile froze when she saw a bunch of older students lurking in the hall. She had to pass them if she wanted to get to the exit. The blonde prayed that none of them would notice her, because they tended to tease her when they did. She had met them before. And it always ended up with her being completely embarrassed, her nails digging into her palms.

Today luck wasn’t exactly on her side. "Yo, Cooper. Wanna learn how to ride? I could show you some moves on my bike!" One of the guys said while the others were laughing. Betty bit her lip and tried to ignore them, but they blocked her way. "Not even an answer? That's rude pretty girl. I'm just being nice." The guy lifted his hand and took one of her blond strands between his fingers. "You could use some lectures, eh?" Betty froze. This was disgusting. But she wasn't able to do or say anything.

"Leave her alone Mantle. Stop being a dick and get to the Wyrm. Viper is waiting for you." Betty looked behind her, knowing the voice all too well. It was Jughead Jones. He wore black jeans, a burgundy sweater under his leather jacket and of course his trademark beanie. Relief rushed through her body when she saw him.

"You won't let us have any fun, Jones" the guy who Jughead had called Mantle snorted.

"You can have fun with your girlfriend. How about that?" Jughead huffed in response, his blue eyes locked with Betty's. He knew exactly what she needed. She needed a focus to get through this situation. And with locking their eyes, he gave her exactly that.

With another annoyed sigh from the guy, they were finally left alone. "I'm sorry." Jughead said. "He can be a little bit of an asshole sometimes." Betty sighed and shook her head.

"Sometimes? He's always like that when I have the pleasure of seeing him." She still felt uncomfortable and her whole body was tense. The dark haired boy seemed to notice and took a step towards her.

"Hey, he's gone now.” She just nodded in response, taking in Jugheads presence. He had always helped her to calm down. He didn’t even have to say or do anything, he could just stand next to her and it would help her. And this was something that hadn’t changed at all, even after all these years. Betty sighed and looked up to Jughead.

“I’m sorry. It’s just…It doesn’t matter. Why did he even listen to you?” she trailed off and bit her lip again. Jughead shrugged and smiled slightly.

“It’s alright. You don’t owe me an explanation. Well, my dad is still running the gang from prison. They think of me as the second in command or something like that…” Jughead told her, while playing with a loose strand of hair that had escaped his beanie. “Sometimes it comes in handy.” Then he paused, looking at her, searching for the right words. “But it’s great to see you.”

Betty flashed him a smile and nodded in agreement. “It’s great to see you too. And thank you. For helping me out, I mean.” She paused, looking around before speaking again. “Can I buy you a burger and a milkshake? To make it up to you?” She asked, rushing through the words, her face all flushed. Jughead couldn’t help himself. He chuckled and nodded.

“You still know the way to my heart” He answered, making Betty blush even more.

“Shut up, Jones.” she responded as she started walking. She could hear him laugh behind her, but she ignored it.

Once they left the school she stopped walking, not really sure of what to do now. She hadn’t thought things through. “Well, my mother brought me here with her car. I guess we have to walk now.” she said, clearing her throat.

“Or we could take my bike.” Jughead suggested, walking straight to it and offering her a second helmet just a few moments later. Betty sighed. It was strange to see him with a bike. This was not the Jughead she knew from back then. But somehow she was curious to learn more about this new Jughead and his life in those past five years.

So she got on his bike, holding on tightly while they were driving, because she was really quite scared. Sitting behind Jughead, she couldn’t see the small smile that played on his lips the whole drive. Once they arrived at Pops’ they chose a booth and sat down, facing each other. After they ordered Jughead looked at her, taking in her appearance. She was still beautiful. And she still seemed to be the nice girl next door she had always been. But something seemed off. He couldn’t exactly pinpoint what it was, but something had changed. He crossed his arms, letting them rest on the table.

“So, how’s everything?” he asked, his tone sincere. “You’re still friends with Archie?” Betty grimaced, but she smiled.

“Yeah, still friends with Archie. I’m fine, thanks. I’m spending most of my time with learning and writing for the Blue and Gold. And listening to my best friends monologs about fashion and Archie.” Jughead raised an eyebrow at her words.

“Still the future journalist I see.” he said with a light smile, before clearing his throat. “So, you’re best friends pining after your boyfriend?” he asked, grimacing after he relealised what he just said. But he had always assumed Betty and Archie would end up together. The perfect girl next door and the all american boy. It was a match made in heaven. Wasn’t it? “Sorry...that...sorry.” he shrugged.

Betty shook her head and sighed. “No, it’s fine. Archie’s not my boyfriend by the way. Veronica, my best friend…she’s his girlfriend. But that’s totally fine. I’m happy for them.” Betty answered his question. She meant it, and Jughead could hear it in her voice. She was fine with it. For a moment they both remained silent, their eyes locked again. Blue and green, the only thing they both could see for a few moments. But the silence was disturbed by the waitress serving them their burgers and their milkshakes. It made Betty feel kind of disappointed and left her quite confused. She cleared her throat, ignoring her blushing cheeks.

After the waitress was gone, Betty studied Jugheads face. She still couldn’t forget what she saw last week. Jughead lying there in his own blood, after he got shot by Jason...the image would be stuck in her head forever. Seeing him alive and biting into his burger made her happy. She was relieved to see him like this, right in front of her. And he looked good. Although there was a certain sadness in his eyes.

Maybe that had something to do with the girl he and Jason were talking about. She wanted answers. But she didn’t want to rush anything. Also, she didn’t want to make Jughead suspicious. ‘ _Baby steps_ ’, she told herself.

“How about you?” she asked softly. Jughead shrugged.

“I’m fine. The foster family is nice and all…I’m living a 80s gang movie.” he answered, his voice shaded with sarcasm, while he took another bite from his burger. Now it was Betty’s turn to raise her eyebrow, although she didn’t say anything. But Jughead knew she wanted to know more, she wanted an honest answer.

“What? You know I can’t tune down the sarcasm sometimes.” He sighed before going on. “Dad’s still in prison and mom is long gone. But it’s okay. I have the foster family and the Serpents. They all look after me.”

“But something is bothering you.” Betty stated. Jughead was amazed by that, and for a moment he couldn’t say a word. He just looked at her, he even stopped eating. It was almost frightening how well she knew him. Even after all these years. Little did he know that Betty had witnessed his argument with Jason one week prior. But she hadn’t forgotten. And now she felt like she would finally get some answers, that’s why she had to ask.

“My best friend, Toni Topaz, went missing 8 months ago. I have no clue where she is.” He couldn’t lie to her. They never have been like that. Even when they were kids they never hid anything from each other. And he figured he wouldn’t start now. The blonde grabbed his hand, giving it a soft squeeze.

“I’m sorry.” she whispered and he nodded. He knew she meant it, and he didn’t want pity anyways. He never wanted pity, it made him feel weak. What he wanted were answers. But no one in this town even cared about a girl from the Southside. That was what he wanted to tell Betty, when she squeezed his hand.

But before he could say anything, Betty gasped, looking into the distance with a vacant expression. Like she went somewhere else in her mind.

“Betty?” She was still holding his hand, but now she gripped him like she was drowning, causing him to wince a little. “Betts? What is it?” he asked, nearly freaking out because she wasn't answering him. It took nearly five minutes until she was with him again.

“You alright?” he gave her a concerned look. Betty was pale, her breath uneasy. The blonde shut her eyes for a short moment, trying to decide how much she could tell him. She could feel his thumb slowly making circles on the back of her hand, trying to comfort her. He didn’t push her to say anything. And she was more than grateful for that. But it was his voice that made her open her eyes again.

“What the fuck?” he asked, almost choking on his own words. He was looking out of the window, frowning at the sight that presented itself outside. It was snowing, although it was way too warm outside for that. “What’s with the weather? First it’s fall over night and now snow, when the sun is shining and it’s way too warm?” Jughead shook his head.

“I have no clue” Betty responded her voice shaking. What was going on? The weather was crazy. And she felt like she was crazy, too. Another vision had haunted her a few minutes ago. She found herself in the woods again, running towards Pops neon signs, only to face the storm again. After that she snapped out of it, looking at Jughead, her heart beating heavily in her chest. She needed to tell somebody. She couldn’t handle all this craziness by herself.

“But there’s something you should know...“

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you may have noticed I had more content planned for this chapter, but I had to cut it, cause I want to stick to ca. 2000 words per chapter. And this seemed like a good scene to make a cut. Next time, we'll start investigating together folks! 


	3. Veracity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this update took me forever. But somehow I just lost every bit of inspiration to continue. But it's back now and I'm really determined to finish this story. 
> 
> Thank you @a92vm for being my beta reader for this new chapter! You're too sweet! <3 
> 
> The plot thickens now and I hope you like it <3

“But there’s something you should know...“

Jughead immediately looked at Betty, when she began to speak again. “What’s the matter?” He paused for a moment, trying to find the right words. They haven’t talked in so long, but he still trusted her. And he could only hope, that she’d still trust him too. 

Thinking about his choice of words a few more moments, he finally spoke again. “I hope you know, that you can tell me everything. Still.” he said, squeezing her hand once more.

If he was being honest, he was still horrified. Because a few minutes ago Betty totally passed out. Words couldn’t reach her and it took her quite some minutes to snap out of it. And he had no idea what was going on. 

The weather, Betty, the vanishing of his best friend. This was crazy. And he had no idea how to deal with any of it. Betty seemed to be better already, but nothing could’ve prepared him for her next words. 

“Ok. This will probably sound completely crazy..” she started, shaking her head, as if she didn’t believe what she was going to say either. “...but hear me out, okay? Please let me just say it out loud and then you can laugh or whatever.”

The blonde took a deep breath, closing her eyes once again, before she finally said, what sounded way too crazy to even believe it. “Something very strange is happening to me. And I don’t really know why. Last week I discovered that I...that I can rewind time.” Betty winced at her own words looking at Jughead.

He looked back at her in disbelief, shaking his head. “You’re joking right?” He let go of her hand, grabbing his backpack and trying to get up. “If you want to make fun of me...please. I thought you were a little bit smarter than that.” He looked at her, angry now, standing up and was just about to leave the booth.

But Betty grabbed his arm. “Please. No! I can prove it. Please Juggie.” she pleaded, tears welling in her eyes, using the nickname for him that she hadn’t used for so long. 

“I don’t know what is happening to me and I feel like I’ll lose it if I can’t tell anybody. Please. Don’t go.” Now she really started crying and Jughead couldn’t help it. He had always been weak, when it came to Betty Cooper. Apparently that hadn’t changed at all.

He sighed and sat down again, studying her face for a few moments. She looked exhausted. Something he didn’t notice before. Maybe because she was still a pro in hiding her real feelings. But now he could see it in her beautiful eyes. She was hurting and it made his heart heavy. “Okay. Let’s pretend this is not a joke. How would you prove it?”

The blonde took a deep breath. “I’ll predict everything that will happen in this diner in the next few minutes. And with everything, I really mean everything. Every little detail.” 

Jughead looked completely bewildered now. But he nodded anyways and took a deep breath. “Well, then let’s do this.” 

Betty smiled. It was a shy smile and she certainly didn’t feel like smiling. But she was relieved that Jughead gave her the benefit of the doubt. “Okay. Give me a few moments” She waited two minutes, before finally rewinding time again, so that she could memorize everything that was going on in the diner. 

Betty had to travel back in time three more times before she was finally sure, that she could predict everything. She finally rewinded time a fourth time to meet Jugheads waiting gaze once again. It was confusing, but she had gotten used to it . For Jughead, not a second had passed since she asked him to give her a few moments. But she knew everything now.

“Okay. Here we go” the blonde took a deep breath. “In a few seconds the door will open and Cheryl will enter the Diner with some of her minions. Pop will greet her with a warm smile as always. But then somebody from the kitchen will start to shout, because all the tomato sauce dropped to the floor. Pop will hurry into the kitchen to help out there and clean up. Cheryl and her squad will sit down. The jukebox will change its song; Jailhouse Rock from Elvis Presley will start. Josie and her girls will start to sing along to the song. Ethel will drop her fork and yell ‘Fuck’ before covering her mouth with her hand. Kevin's father will finish his coffee and ask for a refill. The waitress will give him the refill but she’ll spill the coffee. The door will open once again and a few Serpents will enter. They’ll greet you and then sit down. They’ll tease the waitress and she’ll role her eyes at them, before going to the kitchen and getting their orders.” 

Jughead shook his head and opened his mouth to say something. But in that exact moment the door opened and Cheryl entered the diner with some girls. His eyes grew wide and he looked around while everything happened just like Betty had predicted. It was amazing and scary at the same time.

“Holy shit.” he said. 

“Wow. You still have a wonderful way with words.” Betty teased him, smiling a little bit.

The dark haired boy shook his head, a glint of amusement in his eyes. “Oh please. I’m hurt.” he said, before his expression was serious again. “How did you discover this...ability?” he asked.

Betty closed her eyes, not sure, if she could tell him yet. What should she say? ‘I kinda saved your life?’ She shook her head. “I will tell you. But not right now.” Her words now only a whisper, because she felt exhausted once again.

Jughead watched as her face went pale and he could see the pain in Betty’s eyes. “So rewinding time...does this to you?” Betty just nodded in response. 

Her hands were clenched and she could feel her nails in her palm. Jughead noticed the action immediately. “Please, don’t do that” he said softly, covering her fists with his own hand. 

Betty forced herself to relax her hands and she took a few deep breaths, before she looked at Jughead again. “Thank you.” she said softly. They sat in silence after that. It was not uncomfortable. It had always been easy for them, to be silent together.

Betty slowly recovered and when she felt better, she spoke again. “You know, I’ve been thinking...maybe...with this strange ability...I could help you find Toni.” She avoided Jugheads gaze, because she wasn’t quite sure, how he’d react.

He didn’t say anything for what felt like hours. It seemed like he wasn’t sure if he should accept her offer. “Are you sure?” he finally managed to ask. “I mean, I don’t want you to get hurt or something like that…” he trailed of, looking at her face. 

She smiled and nodded. He had always admired her strength. She was determined and she’d never let anything or anybody stop her. even though she knew what effects helping him would have on her, she was still willing to do it. 

Jughead couldn’t help it and he chuckled. “I think you won’t take no for an answer, huh?” Betty nodded again, a grin playing on her lips. He sighed defeated. “Fine.” 

It was this moment, when he realized his hands were still on hers and so he cleared his throat and lifted his hands

“So, where should we start? Jason?” she asked quickly, because she didn’t want any awkwardness between them. 

Jughead eyed her suspiciously. “What do you know about Jason?” he wanted to know, his voice suddenly icy.

Betty bit her lip, because she knew she screwed up. How could she explain that she knew everything about Jason? She sighed and looked out of the window once again. “Okay. I’m gonna have to drop another bomb now. Please don’t freak out.” 

Jughead just raised one eyebrow, waiting for her explanation. Betty knew it would be the best to finally tell him the truth about how she learned about her ability. But it wasn’t exactly the easiest thing in the world to tell someone, that he should be dead.

“Soo...one week ago, when I was tutoring the kids at Southside High, I went to the break room. And that’s where my ability first showed.” she started looking at Jughead and playing with the napkin on the table. She was nervous and she was pretty sure Jughead could tell. He just watched her, a confused expression on his face. She still didn’t make any sense and he was cautious. What was she trying to say?

“When I was in the break room, you came in...with Jason.” she told him. Betty saw that he opened his mouth to say something, but she raised her hand stopped him. She needed to say it now or she’d never find the courage again. “I heard every word of your conversation, but neither of you noticed me. And you remember the fire alarm, yes?” He nodded. “Well, that was me, because I tried to save you. I’ve been to the break room two times last week. The first time Jason pulled out a gun and….he…” 

Betty paused, shaking her head. “...he freakin’ shot you Juggie.” She couldn’t stop the tears that were welling in her eyes once again. “I saw you lying in your own blood...and I...I tried to reach you. And then suddenly everything around us slowed down and everything went backwards and in the end I was back in the classroom with my students.” Betty let out a shaky breath, but she didn’t dare to look at Jughead. 

The dark-haired boy just sat there unableto say anything. This conversation had turned into something completely crazy and he realized that he was shaking. But the crazsiest thing was, that he actually believed every word. And it scared him. His heart broke a little, when he looked at Betty. She tried to wipe away the tears on her cheeks, but it didn’t help. She looked like a mess. A beautiful mess, but still. 

“When I realized, that this crazy thing was happening to me, I went back to the break room. And because I didn’t know what else to do, I activated the fire alarm. And it helped….” 

Jughead didn’t move or say anything for a while and Betty was scared, that he’d really leave now. She searched his face for signs of any kind of feelings. 

“I…” he started finally, his voice nothing but a whisper. He looked her straight into the eyes now and then he nodded slowly. “This is crazy. So crazy that I honestly believe you can’t make all that shit up.” He paused. “I’m sorry you had to see that.” he finally said. Because what threw him off most was Betty’s concern about him. She still cared about him, her tears were proof of that. And it broke his heart to think of what she had been through the past week.

“It’s fine” she said softly. “I’m just glad you’re here now and that you believe me.” She took a sip from her drink and when she had finally calmed down a little, she sighed. “So...Jason. What’s the deal with him and Toni?” she asked. 

Jughead grimaced. “Before Toni vanished, she went on a couple of dates with some guy. She didn’t tell me who it was, but when I started looking into it, I found out that she had been dating Jason. And those dates were only a few days before she went missing. So I just assumed that he would know something. But that shitshow of a guy won’t tell me anything.” Jughead was furious now, he could feel his own heart beating fast and hard in his chest. He really wanted to punch something whenever he talked about Jason. 

Betty nodded. “He is the biggest asshole on earth.” she sighed. “He also dated Polly. This was like a month or two after Toni went missing. Well, at least that’s what people say. But when nude photos of Polly showed up and everyone in school got them, my parents accused him. Polly didn’t say anything when my parents asked her about it and then they sent her away. They told me she is really ill and needs treatment.” 

“I’m sorry.” Jughead told her once again. And she could tell he really was. Because he knew how close Betty was to Polly. “But it seems like Jason would be a good start for our...investigation.” he said a small smile playing on his lips. 

Betty chuckled. “Yeah. I heard there’s a party at his place tonight. We should go there and see, if we can find something.” He nodded. “Seems like a good start. It’s a date then.” He cringed at his own choice of words, but Betty didn’t object.

Instead she smiled and rested her head in her hands and looked at Jughead, a sparkle in her eyes he hadn’t seen in a long time. 

Jughead couldn’t help it and he pulled out his retro polaroid camera to capture that exact moment. Betty glanced at him. “Excuse me? Who allowed you to take a picture of me?” she asked, but she laughed. 

“I don’t need permission. It’s art.” he said and winked at her. Betty shook her head in amusement. So, he still took pictures of everything and everyone whenever he felt like it. Some things never changed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are very much appreciated, hope you liked the new chapter! <3


	4. Melancholy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for being an amazing beta @a92vm ! You’re the bestest. <3
> 
> So I have no clue why this chapter got so long. And I’m so sorry for the slow pace plot-wise haha. I SWEAR that there are important hints in every chapter. It just seems like I put too much words around my hints lmao. (I’ll probably end up with 30 chapters lol)
> 
> This chapter is very Betty/Veronica/Archie centric, but as I’ve said, there are hints I wanted to put in there and I wanted a little girl talk and more background story. So please bear with me and I can assure you the next chapter is full of amazing things! ;)

Betty checked her phone once again. Six missed calls. Of course her mother had tried to call her numerous times. That was not a surprise at all. She was late, and of course that didn’t go unnoticed. But going to Pop’s with Jughead had been something she didn’t know she needed.

It was good to see his face, it was good to see him alive. And it felt even better to know, that she could still count on him even after all those years. She felt bad that she didn’t reach out, or that she didn’t try to keep in touch with him. She couldn’t imagine how hard his life must have been those past few years. But he didn’t hold a grudge against her. That much was clear.

He had saved her from those stupid guys and she finally opened up to someone about all the crazy things that were happening to her. She was relieved Jughead believed her, but a part of her was still worried. What if he’d wake up tomorrow and tell her she should leave him alone, that he didn't want to deal with her bullshit? Who knew, really? But then again he wasn’t the type of guy who’d do something like that. He never was. He had never broken any promises. And they had promised a lot when they were just kids. Well maybe there was one promise he didn’t keep, but it had been a silly one anyways.

She remembered how she ended up crying in his arms, when she had told Archie that she had feelings for him and he rejected her. She had been an overly dramatic 13 year old girl and she was sure that no one would ever marry her. And after she told him as much, Jughead promised he’d marry her. After that she calmed down and they spent the evening cuddled up on the sofa, watching movies. She smiled at that memory. But the smile faded when she finally arrived home.

Betty sighed when she opened the door to the Cooper house. She could hear distant voices arguing in the kitchen. At this point Alice was probably furious. The blonde straightened her ponytail, after she had closed the door. She wasn’t ready to face her parents after everything that had happened today, but she wanted it to be over. So she headed to the kitchen and faced her parents.

“Hi mom, hi dad.” she said. Alice turned around her lips pressed together. It was evident that she was angry. Her brows were furrowed and her arms were crossed in front of her chest. Betty sighed once again. Nothing she could say would make it better now.

“I’m sorry I’m late. I went to Pop’s with Archie and Veronica after tutoring and forgot the time.” It was a lie, well, not completely, but she wouldn’t tell her mum that she went to Pop’s with Jughead. She really didn’t want to have THAT conversation now. Alice had never been very fond of him.

“This is unacceptable, Elizabeth.” Alice said. “You can’t be irresponsible like that. You should know better. Did you at least look through the job offers I gave you yesterday? You know you have to do a little more than tutoring if you want to have the perfect CV.”

Betty bit her lip and glanced at her dad. He looked like he was sorry for his wife’s behavior, but he just shook his head slightly and Betty knew that he wouldn’t say a thing. This was her battle now. “No mum. I didn’t look through the offers you gave me. And I’m not sure I will.”

“Excuse me?” Alice fumed. “Are you being serious now? You know that this is very important for your future. This is not a discussion. I’m telling you to find a job. This conversation is over now. Go to your room and think about it.”

Betty took a deep breath and was about to say something, when her father just shook his head again. Her shoulders sank and she clenched her fists. She could feel the familiar pain, when her nails were digging into her palm. Her skin didn’t get hurt, but she needed that pain right now,to remind herself to stay calm. This was bad. She knew it, but she couldn’t stop.

“Okay mom.” she finally said and turned around to go to her room. “Go to your room”, she had said, like she was still a kid that could be punished like that. She shook her head. When she had closed the door behind her she sat down on her bed, not noticing the tears that were streaming down her cheeks once again. She was so done with this. Her graduation couldn’t come fast enough.

She was so lost in her own thoughts that it took her quite some time to notice, that her phone was ringing. She checked how she looked in the mirror and then accepted the facetime call with a smile.

“Hi Ronnie! Hi Archie” she said trying to sound as happy as possible. They both were cuddled up on some very fancy looking armchair (which meant they were at Veronica's place), and grinning into the camera. The picture on her screen was kind of cute, but at the moment Betty wasn’t able to focus on that.

She tried to make it seem like everything was okay. But after they had been friends for quite a while, Veronica knew something was up. She didn’t buy the happy act. “Hi Betty” she replied with a smile, looking at her friend on the screen. “You seem tired, everything alright?”

Betty sighed. “I’m fine. Just a little exhausted from all the extra work my mom thinks I should do. I could use a distraction.” She couldn’t really tell Veronica and Archie what was going on. For now this was something between her and Jughead. Veronica raised an eyebrow. “A distraction? What are you thinking of?”

The blonde chuckled. Of course Ronnie would be curious. Betty was counting on that, it would be less suspicious if the four of them went to Jason’s party together, not only Jughead and her. “There’s a party tonight. At the Blossom mansion. We should go.”

Archie snorted. “Are you sure you’re fine? Going to a Blossom party doesn’t exactly sound like the best thing to do...I mean...with Polly and everything.” Veronica just rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on Archie. That was months ago. And if Betty wants to go just let her.”

Betty opened her mouth to say something, but Archie and Veronica just continued to argue about what was best for her, like she wasn’t there. “Uhh, guys!” she said, finally getting their attention again. “Just come with me please and I’ll be fine. I’ll just avoid talking to Jason or Cheryl.”

“Fine” they both finally agreed and Betty smiled. She knew she could count on her friends. “But...uhm...I’ll bring someone too.” Suddenly Veronica snatched the phone from Archie’s hand and stood up, holding the phone closer to her face so Betty could see her surprise. “Excuse me? How am I only hearing this now?” Betty laughed. “It’s not like that.”

The raven-haired beauty shook her head in disbelief. “Not like that? Betty you never bring someone anywhere. So, who is he?” Now it was Bettys turn to roll her eyes. “Oh, come on Ronnie. It’s really not like that. His name is Jughead Jones, he’s An old friend. I ran into him him today and we talked for a while and I invited him.”

“What’s a Jughead and why have I never heard of him?” she asked in confusion. The name sure sounded weird.

“Because he was forced to go to Southside High a few years ago and we all lost contact.” Archie said now. After a little struggle and some blurry pictures on the screen there was Archie’s face on the screen again. “How is Jug?” he asked.

The blonde smiled. “He’s fine. But you can ask him that yourself Arch. I bet there’s a lot you could talk about.” Of course she didn’t mention that he got shot last week and that she saved him by going back in time. How would she even do that?

‘Oh hey, I saw how Jughead got shot and suddenly I was able to rewind the time and now he’s still alive, because I saved him.’ Archie and Veronica wouldn’t believe it. Plus, she really needed one evening that felt almost normal in all this craziness. Or she’d have a break down soon.

“I’m so coming over to get you ready for this party.” Veronica said now her face smashed right next to Archie’s so that she could look at the screen.“ Because I won’t let you wear another one of your sweaters for this party.” She grimaced and Betty laughed. “Fine. Come over in an hour or two?”

They agreed that Veronica would come over and help Betty get ready and afterwards they’d all meet at Archie’s to drive to the party together.

For a second she hesitated but then grabbed her phone to text Jughead the details.

Betty: Hey Jughead, meet me at Archie’s later? He and his girlfriend are coming too. I invited them, because I thought that would be less suspicious. Betty.

She wasn’t sure if he still had her number saved in his phone, so she added her name. Just to be sure. Betty bit her lip staring at her phone. Suddenly she was nervous. She didn’t want Jughead to think that she invited Archie and Veronica because she didn’t want to be alone with him. That wasn’t the case at all.

But it didn’t take him long to answer and Betty relaxed. She smiled at her screen when it lighted up, with his name on it.

Jughead: Probably a good idea. Don’t think Blossom will be too thrilled to see me there. I’ll be there, see you later.

Betty took a shower, after she had another argument with her mother about the party tonight. In the end she convinced Alice to let her go. But she had to be home by midnight. Betty nearly laughed at the Cinderella parallel.

But she couldn’t even finish this thought as Veronica Lodge made her entrance right when Betty had finished showering. “Betty! You can’t go to the party in a towel” she quipped and grinned while she greeted her friend with a hug. Veronica was already dressed and ready to go. Betty wouldn't expect anything else from her friend.

The blonde chuckled and shook her head. “I was thinking about a skirt and a blouse?” Veronica nodded. “Seems like a good start. Let’s see what you’ve got and then I’ll do your hair.”

Betty had to show Veronica four different outfits until she was finally pleased. “That’s it! Now let’s see what we can do with your hair.” Betty smiled at her friend and sat down in front of the mirror. Veronicas started to comb her hair and for a few moments she said nothing. But that didn’t last long.

“Soo...wanna tell me more about Jughead?” Veronica finally asked. Betty knew that she had been dying to ask.

“I bet Archie already told you everything. The three of us were best friends when we were kids. But then he had to move to the Southside and had to change school and after a while we lost contact. I saw him today. I’m still tutoring at Southside High, remember? Some guys pestered me and he came and helped me. I thanked him with a burger and a milkshake and invited him to the party tonight. That’s it. Just thought it would be nice…” she said lowering her gaze to her hands not able to meet Veronicas eyes.

Veronica chuckled. “You really want me to believe this?” Betty sighed. “I just met him again today. Can we not read too much into this?” she asked softly. Veronica raised her hands in defeat and nodded.

Betty thanked her with an honest smile and then tried to change topics. “How about you? Everything good with you and Archie?” She was really interested in that. Yeah, it had been hard for her to admit that Archie and Veronica were better together, and that her crush on him had been nothing but a fantasy that she chased for far too long. 

Veronica nodded a big smile on her lips. “Yes, everything’s amazing Betty. Today he told me he wants to focus on his music now. He’s not so sure how to handle it all with football and with helping out his dad. But I’m sure he’ll find a way.”

She paused, focusing on Betty's hair now. But after a few moments she took a step back and looked at Betty. “Perfect. We’re done. But maybe try a different necklace? The one you’re wearing doesn’t really go with the whole outfit.”

Betty shook her head and grabbed the necklace while she stood up from the chair in front of the mirror. “No. I want to keep this one on. It’s...it’s from Polly.” She didn’t like the look she got from Veronica. It was full of pity. But then Veronica turned around to grab a chapstick and the moment was over. She walked over to Betty and put a light pink colour on Betty’s lips. “Now we’re ready.”

They both went downstairs together and said good-bye to her parents. Which took them about 10 minutes, because Alice didn’t let them go without lecturing them on alcohol, drugs and boys. Betty sighed when she finally closed the door behind them. “Oh god, I’m so sorry for my mum. She’s on edge today, because I came home late after tutoring and I told her I don’t want another job.”

Veronica just shook her head. “It’s fine. Don’t worry. I’m used to your mother being so overbearing. At least you didn’t have to go through that lecture alone.” They smiled at each other for a moment, before they headed over to Archie’s where the guys were already waiting for them sitting on the porch and talking about lord knows what. they hadn’t talked for a while so they sure had lots to talk about.

Jughead sat there and looked up when the girls approached them. He knew it wasn’t nice to stare, but in this exact moment he couldn’t help himself. Betty looked beautiful. Not that there were days when she didn’t look beautiful, that was something he had always noticed. Flowers turn towards the sun, Betty was beautiful. It was a fact, common sense. He had found himself thinking about it so many times.

All those thoughts came back with a sheer force that he had no control over, something he generally didn’t like. That force made him stare at her. She was wearing a light blue plaid skirt and a white blouse. Her hair wasn’t tied in her tight ponytail. Instead half her hair was in a bun whereas the other half of her hair was down and graced her face just right. For a brief second they made eye contact and he saw Betty’s cheeks turning red.

Jughead cleared his throat trying to cover his awkward staring. “I...uhm...you look nice. Both of you do” He smiled although he knew it was a weak attempt to get the conversation started. Well done, Jughead Jones. Not.   
He got up on his feed and stretched out his hand to Veronica. “I’m Jughead Jones. Nice to meet you.”Veronica nodded, a knowing smile on her lips. “I’m Veronica Lodge…”

“...Archie’s girlfriend.” he finished her sentence and laughed. “Betty and Archie both already told me about you.” The raven-haired girl chuckled. “I hope they only said good things about me.”

Jughead nodded. “Of course. Betty could never say anything mean. And Archie…” he smirked. “He’s a goner.”

“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?” Archie asked with mock anger and stood up to finally greet his girlfriend. They all laughed and Jughead made his way over to Betty. “Hey, ready?” he asked, seriously concerned, because Betty looked nervous.

But she nodded and smiled. “Yes, yes I am. And just for the record: you look nice, too.” He chuckled. “Thanks.” Jughead was wearing black jeans, his trademark beanie, a grey S shirt a red plaid flannel, bound around his hips and a dark sherpa jacket. He had left his Serpent leather jacket at home. It was one thing to show up at that party, but showing up in a serpent leather jacket? That would have been the worst thing to do.

They finally started heading towards Archie’s car. The guys walked in front while Betty and Veronica walked a little bit behind them. She smirked at her blonde friend. “What?” Betty asked. “You’re still saying it was just ‘being nice’ to invite him? I saw how you two just looked at each other.” Betty sighed. Why did she have to invite them again? Veronica wouldn’t let her hear the end of it, that was for sure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are very much appreciated <3

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on tumblr! @rubyventure
> 
> Please let me know what you think! <3


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